California Briefing / San Diego

Store's condom policy protested

Two dozen activists gathered Wednesday outside a pharmacy to protest the store's alleged practice of keeping condoms under lock and key.

The decision by CVS pharmacy to lock up condoms discourages some customers from buying them and thus is a hindrance to the fight against diseases, according to activists with the national group Change to Win. The policy seems aimed at stores in minority neighborhoods, the group said.

But a spokesman for the Rhode Island-based chain said condoms are kept in locked cases only when they have been "heavily shoplifted." Even then, each store tries to keep a selection openly available, an assertion the activists deny.